The imaging media employed today in medical imaging processes include a traditional film, a reusable image plate, or an X-radiation monitoring wireless or wired sensor. In the event that a film is used, the film has been accommodated for example in a separate cassette protecting the film from visible light, which cassette may be in contact with a patient and his/her body fluids during radiography. Likewise, the image plate is shielded inside a protection device during radiography, the X-ray image being captured by placing the object to be imaged, for example a patient or part of a patient, between the source of X-radiation and the image plate contained within the protection device. Hence, the image plate protection device may come to contact with a patient and his/her body fluids during an imaging process, such as for example in intraoral radiography, during which the image plate shielded by a protection device is in the patient's mouth.
No matter which of the foregoing imaging media is employed, there is always a risk that disease carriers, originating from a patient and/or medical staff, may migrate to other patients and/or medical staff by way of the imaging medium. In the case of an image plate, for example, the first risk appears as early as in the packaging stage of an image plate, wherein the image plate is inserted for example in a protective cardboard or the like, and then, while accommodated in the protective cardboard or the like, in a shielding device, for example in a sealable hygienic shielding bag, ending up in contact e.g. with a patient during radiography. In the packaging process, an image plate, prior to being inserted in protection devices, may be contaminated e.g. by a packing person, for example by dropping the image plate on the floor or by touching it with bare hands or dirty gloves.
Another risk factor involves the poor liquid tightness of protection devices, for example a shielding bag, whereby, e.g. in intraoral radiography, a patient's body fluids may end up inside the shielding bag and proceed to contaminate an image plate contained in the shielding bag. Another risk with non-liquidproof shielding bags is that disease carriers, possibly inside the shielding bag, may migrate from within the shielding bag into a patient's mouth during radiography.
Still another risk is that the shielding bag is picked up from a patient's mouth for example by a nurse, who then brings the same instruments in contact with other objects, for example readout devices or structural elements or even other shielding bags, whereby disease carriers may pass from the nurse to other protection devices and, in the case of non-liquidproof shielding bags, even all the way to image plates.
There is a still further risk of disease carriers proceeding from an image plate to instruments in close proximity of the image plate, for example to readout device conveyor mechanisms, receiver elements or transfer elements, or to an outlet for image plates, or to a tray into which the read-out image plates return from the readout device, and further thereby to other image plates or persons or elements handling the same.
Prior known are a few solutions for improving the hygiene of, for example, intraoral image plates and instruments and installations associated therewith.
For example, the publication FI 92633 discloses one solution for protecting an intraoral image plate by means of two shielding bags, wherein the image plate is first inserted in an inner shielding bag open at one end, and which inner shielding bag is then inserted into an outer shielding bag, said outer shielding bag being intended to prevent a patient's saliva from proceeding, along with the inner bag, to a readout device, as well as to protect the patient from disease carriers possibly settled on the image plate surface. The image plate can be placed first in a cardboard cover and then in an outer shielding bag. In addition, the publication U.S. Pat. No. 6,315,444 also discloses a solution for protecting an imaging plate by means of an envelope type container, wherein the imaging plate is inserted in the envelope type container by way of a first end of the container for the duration of a radiographic procedure and is removed from a second end of the container after the radiographic procedure.
However, the above-cited solutions involve a few problems, for example a shielding bag opening process with uncontrolled tearing of the shielding bag. This involves a hazard that, in the process of opening a shielding bag, an image plate present inside the shielding bag is dropped, for example, on the floor or some other contaminating surface, whereby disease carriers may end up in contact with the image plate. The envelope type container described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,315,444 is in turn quite complicated in terms of its structure and manufacturing, because therein the point of inserting an image plate into the container is not the same as that of its extraction. Such a container is quite vulnerable to leaks as it includes several openings for the insertion or extraction of an image plate.
Still additionally, the solutions presented in either of the cited publications are not liquid-proof as both are left with a flow-permitting passage in a folded joint established by a foldable flap, which allows a flow of liquid even all the way to contact with an opening intended for the insertion of an image plate, and thence further inside the container and to contact with the image plate. Moreover, for example the envelope type container presented in U.S. Pat. No. 6,315,444 is left with sharp corners as the flap is folded shut. First of all, such sharp corners feel uncomfortable in a patient's mouth, but there is also a hygiene risk as a sharp corner may cause further damage to a patient's mucous membranes and thereby facilitate the transfer of disease carriers to or from the patient's body.
Prior known are also a few solutions for the cleaning of contaminated intraoral image plates. For example, the publication US 2007/0086911 discloses a solution relating to disinfection, wherein the image plate readout device comprises a special disinfecting unit performing the disinfection by means of a thermal treatment, UV radiation, chemicals, or a gas treatment.
A problem in the solution presented in US 2007/0086911 is, however, the fact that the device explicitly disinfects image plates presently contained within an image plate readout device. In the event that a traditional image plate is disinfected for example by means of UV radiation, the image plate must be subjected thereafter to an erasing procedure or at least to a dark treatment prior to its reuse, which claims time and resources with at least one operation added to the process, and secondly, the image plate is not immediately reusable. In addition, powerful UV radiation is harmful to the image plate and shortens its service life.